Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Mac Bennett spent the season at Hotchkiss School (USHS), where he tallied two goals and 11 points through 15 games.

2009-10: In 53 games with Cedar Rapids, Bennett would find the back of the net 9 times with 14 assists. He was also selected to the 2010 USHL All-Star Game.

2010-11: Bennett played in 32 of 44 games as a freshman at the University of Michigan. Playing on a veteran defensive corps that featured two former second round picks, Bennett scored 2 goals with 10 assists and was +12 with 21 PMs. The Wolverines won the CCHA regular season and playoff championships and reached the Frozen Four Final, falling 3-2 to national champion Notre Dame in overtime.

2011-12: Bennett had a solid sophomore season at the University of Michigan where the smooth skating defenseman improved slightly on last season’s numbers, scoring four goals along with 17 assists and a plus 15 rating in 41 NCAA games. He played his second season with his partner, senior Greg Pateryn (MTL) who clearly helped the young defenseman develop his overall game. Bennett gained valuable experience playing big minutes CCHA Playoffs and the NCAA tournament. The talented offensive defenseman was not able to contribute to the Wolverines’ offense in their 3-2 loss in the CCHA Championship game against Western Michigan University. He would assist on the game-tying goal which sent Michigan into over-time against Cornell University in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. The Wolverines would lose 3-2 in OT, ending their season.

2012-13: Bennett skated in 32 games for Michigan as a junior – missing most of January with a knee injury. Skating on the Wolverines’ top pairing with Jacob Trouba (Winnipeg) much of the year, he scored 6 goals with 12 assists and was an even plus/minus with 4 penalty minutes. Michigan finished seventh in the CCHA, failing to win 20 games for the first time since head coach Red Berenson’s third season in 1986-87 but went 8-0-1 in nine games and nearly earned an NCAA tournament bid; falling to Notre Dame, 3-1, in the CCHA championship game.

2013-14:Bennett was a senior captain for the University of Michigan in his final season of college hockey. He skated in 31 games for the Wolverines, missing time late in the season after suffering a shoulder injury in a game against Penn State. He scored 2 goals with 12 assists and was +12 with 10 penalty minutes. Michigan finished third in the Big Ten in the conference’s inaugural season but was upset by Penn State in the conference tournament and did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Bennett signed a two-year entry-level contract with Montreal in March 2014.

2014-15: Bennett skated in 59 games for Montreal AHL affiliate Hamilton in his first pro season, missing time after suffering a shoulder injury in February. He scored 4 goals with 8 assists and was -2 with 10 penalty minutes. Hamilton finished third in the North Division, six points behind the Chicago Wolves for the final Western Conference playoff spot.

2015-16: Bennett skated in 35 games for the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps in his second pro season, briefy spending time in the ECHL with Brampton. He scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was -11 with 30 penalty minutes. The IceCaps missed the AHL playoffs, finishing fifth in the North Division. Bennett had 1 assist and was -3 with no penalties in four ECHL games with the Beast.

Talent Analysis

Bennett is a smooth-skating defenceman with a good first pass. He has decent size to work with and knows how to control the puck and use his body to maintain possession. He tends to join the rush and pinch more often than you would expect a defender to. He has a quality wrist shot that he likes to keep low and contains a good IQ offensively to set up his teammates using the boards for passing. The defence-side of his game could use some improvement at the pro level, as Bennett wasn't as consistent last year with the team, suffering some unforced errors and poor coverage due to being out of position.

Future

Bennett battled to find regular ice time with the AHL's St. John's IceCaps in 2015-16, being a healthy scratch at times late in the year and being loaned to the ECHL's Brampton Beast in March. A stay-at-home defender who was hindered by a shoulder injury in his first pro season, he is at the end of his original two-year contract with Montreal and would become an unrestricted free agent if not tendered a qualifying offer. The 25-year-old has a limited upside in terms of offensive potential but could be a sound lower pairing defenseman in the right situation.

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Photo: Forward Mike McCarron underwent some growing pains in his first full season of OHL hockey. The Montreal Canadiens selected McCarron 25th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Aaron Bell/CHL Images)

The Montreal Canadiens surprised many hockey experts by finishing the 2013-14 NHL season fourth in the Eastern Conference and hitting the 100-point total. The team's successful run into the conference finals during the NHL playoffs showed the Canadiens are on the cusp of being a contending team in the East.

Photo: Though defenseman Magnus Nygren began the 2013-14 regular season in the AHL, he finished it with Farjestad of the SHL. (courtesy of Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

The Montreal Canadiens have a good mix of talent amongst their prospects playing in Europe and the NCAA. The organization has six forwards and three defensemen in this group that possesses varying degrees of speed, skill, and grit. These young prospects have shown improvement in their development this year and add good overall depth to the Canadiens' farm system.

Photo: Forward Louis Leblanc was selected 18th overall in 2009 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. Leblanc is currently in his third season as a pro. (courtesy of Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

The 2008-09 NHL season was one of disappointment, turmoil, and failure for the Montreal Canadiens. After a first place finish the previous season, the team barely slipped into the Stanley Cup Playoffs and were swept in the first round by their longtime rivals, the Boston Bruins.

Photo: Photo: Charles Hudon is one of several offensively gifted forwards in the Montreal Canadiens system. Hudon was selected in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Minas Panagiotakis/Icon SMI)

The Montreal Canadiens spent the 2013 off-season addressing various holes in their organizational depth chart and now have good balance throughout their system. Montreal's management philosophy is to give their prospects every opportunity to seize a spot on the NHL roster. The organization is not afraid to put rookies into regular season NHL games for evaluation purposes and the approach has worked very well so far.